Oct 1, 2014

Oppo has become one of the major players in the smartphone business thanks to its many popular products like the N1 and Find 7. The Chinese handset maker has been quite successfully with its high-end smartphone priced very low.

The Oppo N1 and Find 7 are available internationally, though the company initially launched them in China. Both smartphones have been selling like hot cakes in Asia, which is why Oppo plans to release a sequel to one of its popular N1 model. Even though it would have been obvious to launch an Oppo N2, after the N1, the Chinese company seems to have skipped directly to Oppo N3. The unannounced Oppo N3 has already been teased a few times by the handset maker, but nothing on the phone’s specs has been shared until recently.

GSMArena reports the N3 has been pictured in China, which suggests it won’t be long until the smartphone goes official. As a matter of fact, according to Oppo’s teasers, the N3 should be launched on October 29, but it’s unclear whether or not the smartphone will be available for purchase this month as well. The pictures showing the Oppo N3 isn’t the only new information we have about the smartphone. Apparently, some of the phone’s specs have been leaked as well, so here is what you will get if you decide to grab the upcoming Oppo high-end smartphone.

Oppo N3 won't pack a QHD display, but it will feature the usual rotating camera

First of all, the Oppo N3 will pack a 13-megapixel photo snapper with dual LED flash, which can be rotated to 206 degrees. On the inside, the smartphone will be equipped with Qualcomm’s 805 chipset that will accommodate a quad-core processor of unknown value. Oppo N3 will pack no less than 3GB of RAM, which seems to have become standard for all flagship smartphones beginning this year. Moving on to display, the upcoming high-end smartphone is said to boast a huge 5.9-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution. So those expecting another QHD smartphone that would eventually be priced lower than other flagship handsets will probably be disappointed.

That’s about everything we know about Oppo N3 so far regarding the smartphone’s specs sheet. In the same piece of news, word is Oppo will launch an aluminum lithium N3 version, and another model made from stainless steel. We expected them to be priced differently, but more details on the Oppo N3 pricing options are likely to leak closer to launch. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

Microsoft has already presented Windows 10 in a conference on Tuesday, but the company only showed the operating system at work without providing any details on when exactly users could get the final bits of the product.

Now thanks to confidential partner documents published by BAV0 we know that Windows 10 should see daylight in the summer of 2015, after more than six months of public testing. At the same time, the leaked documents, which you can read below the article, reveal that all Windows 8 devices that will be sold during the holidays should be capable of running Windows 10 just fine. As we mentioned earlier today, Windows 10 will come with system requirements similar to those on Windows 8, so all systems will be able to cope with the new OS version just fine. Last but not least, the documents emphasize that only experienced users should install Windows 10 preview, as it is still an unfinished product that could come with bugs and issues.

“Tech Preview is designed for PC experts who are comfortable downloading unfished software, preferably on a secondary PC. This is not a developer preview designed for app compatibility testing. While we do expect many developers to download the Preview, we fully expect them to run into compatibility bugs at this early stage,” the documents read. Microsoft itself warned that the preview should only be installed by advanced users, but there’s no doubt that millions of customers from all over the world will give it a try.

Windows 10 Partner Documents:Q: When will the next version of Windows be made generally available?We look forward to the next version of Windows being generally available over the summer of 2015.Q: Will Windows 10 be available for free to existing customers?Microsoft has not shared any information about pricing at this time.Q: If I buy a Windows device this holiday season, will it be upgradable?It’s our intention that the vast majority of PCs and tablets bought this holiday will work great on Windows 10.Q: Should I download the Tech Preview?Tech Preview is designed for PC experts who are comfortable downloading unfished software, preferably on a secondary PC. This is not a developer preview designed for app compatibility testing. While we do expect many developers to download the Preview, we fully expect them to run into compatibility bugs at this early stage.Q: What are the system requirements for the Windows 10 Technical Preview?If you want to test the Windows 10 Technical Preview on your PC, here’s what it takes:Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or fasterRAM: 1 gigabyte (GB)Free hard disk space: 16 GBGraphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driverA Microsoft account and Internet accessThe Windows 10 Technical Preview can be installed on PCs meeting system requirements running Windows 7 or newerQ: Can I install the Windows 10 Tech Preview on a small form factor Windows tablet or a Windows Phone?The Technical Preview is designed specifically for x86 based systems and is optimized for non-touch, mouse and keyboard driven systems. Windows on ARM-based processors continues to be an important element of our strategy for phones and tablets, and we’ll have more to share on the Windows experience for mobile devices at a later date.Q: Do you think the next version of Windows will have a better adoption rate than Windows 8?We’re pleased with the adoption of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. According to Microsoft, Windows 8 has surpassed 200 million licenses sold, and there are more than 6,600 Windows 8/8.1 certified products available to customers.

Windows 10 comes with lots of new options, including multiple desktopsImage credits to Microsoft

If you are following the news in the GPU industry, you might be aware that it hasn’t been long since NVIDIA unleashed the GeForce GTX 980M and 970M discrete graphics cards, both based on Maxwell architecture.

So it’s a matter of time before we see laptops taking advantage of this new architecture become available on the market. Speaking of which, two models have already surfaced online as the ASUS ROG G751 which is expected to take advantage of GeForce GTX 980M and the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro Gold Edition that is set to arrive with the GeForce GTX 970M.

Clevo is also prepping something

Now we have discovered a third model, coming from Clevo. The first traces of the device have been spotted on the Tech Inferno forum, as well as a few images detailing it. Clevo will be launching two families under its P-series umbrella: the P65xSE/SG lineup which comes with a 15.7-inch form factor and the P67xSE/SG bunch that offers a 17-inch display. For the time being, only the specs of the smaller family has been revealed, so we’re going to go ahead and talk about that.

Clevo P65xSE/SG focuses on the 15.6-inch form factor

The P65xSE/SGs arrive with 15.6-inch displays with offer a choice between 1920 x 1080, 2880 x 1620 or 3840 x 2160 pixel resolutions. Under the hood pumping life into the machine will reside an Intel Corei7-4710HQ processor, but Clevo will also offer options including 4702HQ, 4770HQ, 4870Q and 4980HQ chips, but for the time being we’re not sure whether both families will be eligible to receive the treatment. Everything onboard will be fitted with a minimum of 4GB of RAM and a maximum of 32GB of RAM. The P65xSE models will be fitted with the GTX 970M graphics card while the P65xSG will get the high-end treatment with the GTX 980M.

Anyway, if you’re curiousto know, a bunch of benchmark results have been posted for the version outfitted with GTX970M: 924Mhz-core-1038Mhz-boost-1253Mhz-vRAM and you can check them (also here, here and here). The 15.6-inch laptop will end up weighing 2.6 kg / 5.7 lbs, which includes the 4-cell battery which will apparently be able to sustain 200 minutes of working time on the device. Like most gaming laptops, the new Clevo machine will take advantage of a backlit keyboard, but there’s an extra feat thrown in the mix – a fingerprint reader, so rest assured your private data will be kept safe. For the time being we don’t know when Clevo launches these new models, but while we wait on that, why don’t you take a few minutes and check out the first teaser images.

Samsung continues to launch mid-range Android smartphones to fill some small gaps in its offering. Shortly after introducing the Galaxy Ace Style LTE in Germany, the South Korean company announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime.

Price-wise, the smartphone seems like a good alternative to other Android smartphones in the same range, but the bad news is that for the time being the smartphone will only be available in India. In fact, Samsung announced that the Galaxy Grand Prime would go on sale in India on October 3 for around $280 (€220) outright, but the handset maker has yet to share additional details on the phone’s international availability. It also worth mentioning that Samsung will be making the phone available in both black and white color versions, but a dual-SIM variant will also be released on Friday. The single-SIM Galaxy Grand Prime is expected to hit shelves in other countries by the end of the year, but more info on the matter will probably be available close to launch.

You get to choose from either black or white color options

Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime seems to be aimed at selfie lovers, as the smartphone is equipped with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, which is perfect for video calls as well. But this is not the only selling point of the mid-range Android smartphone. Samsung’s handset is powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 64-bit chipset, which accommodates a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. In addition, the smartphone packs 8GB of internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 64GB via microSD card slot. Even though it sports a 5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, it only supports qHD (540 x 960 pixels) resolution, but that was to be expected since it’s a mid-range handset.

On the back, the Galaxy Grand Prime boasts an enhanced 8-megapixel photo snapper with autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording. The phone is powered by a 2600 mAh removable battery, which has yet to be rated by the manufacturer. Another strong point would be the fact that it ships with Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system out of the box, though it’s unclear whether or not Samsung will offer an Android L upgrade in the coming months. The smartphone has already been listed on Samsung India website, but it will only go on sale in a few days, so you might want to check it out over the weekend. Here is hoping the Galaxy Grand Prime will be released in other countries sooner rather than later.

Microsoft yesterday confirmed Windows 10 as the name of its new operating system, adding that users would be allowed to download a preview version today as part of its Windows Insider Program launched together with the operating system.

Of course, many would rush to download the testing bits of the new operating system, but it’s very important to have a look at the system requirements to make sure that your computer can handle Windows 10. Until now, Microsoft hasn’t provided any official details on the hardware requirements of Windows 10, but some company executives have confirmed on Twitter that these are very likely to be the same as on Windows 8. Since Microsoft is offering Windows 10 technical preview free of charge to users, the testing bits are very likely to be downloaded by those who are already running a Windows version to see if the upgrade is worth the effort, time, and money, so the need to know the system requirements is obvious.

“Hardware requirements are the same”

Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s head of communications, said in a short tweet that Windows 10 “hardware requirements are the same” with the ones on Windows 8, thus making the upgrade from the old OS to the new one quite a breeze. Some could change until the final product comes out, but as Neowin points out today, they’re quite low for an operating system such as Windows 10. And still, here’s what you need to run Windows 8.1, and very likely Windows 10:

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)

Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

Free upgrade from Windows 8.1 could be offered

One of the reasons why Microsoft struggled to keep Windows 10 system requirements as low as possible is a potential upgrade offer that could be released when the final version of the operating system comes out. This is yet to be confirmed, but people close to the matter indicated that Windows 10 could be available as a free upgrade for Windows 8.1 users, while Windows 7 computers might be allowed to do the same for a small fee, of around $30 (€23). There’s no doubt that such promos would be announced when Windows 10 is released, as Microsoft needs not only to boost adoption of its new modern operating system, but also to move more users off the previous Windows versions.

Windows 10 will work on all PCs running Windows 8Image credits to Microsoft

HTC One M8 Eye is the next high-end Android smartphone to be launched by the Taiwanese handset maker this year. Unfortunately, those who were expecting something completely new from HTC will probably be disappointed as the One M8 Eye is meant to look exactly like the current flagship smartphone, the HTC One M8.

The same goes for the phone specs, though there will be a few differences between the two HTC top tier smartphones. In fact, the One M8 Eye may be released in order to offer an alternative to those who want a much better camera than HTC One M8 has. Although it has yet to be confirmed, HTC One M8 Eye will pack 13-megapixel Duo Camera instead of the 4- UltraPixel photo snapper inside of the One M8. It looks like HTC’s experiment with the Ultra Pixel module camera is over and the Taiwanese company’s plans will probably stop putting it in future products.

According to UpLeaks close to the matter, HTC One M8 Eye will only be available in India and China. The smartphone will be launched in both Silver and Gray and it won’t feature NFC (Near Field Communication). Sadly, it’s unclear whether or not the One M8 Eye will eventually make it to other countries as well, but rumor has it the smartphone will be officially unveiled on October 8.

HTC One M8 Eye has the same specs as the One M8, except for the camera

In order to confirm all this, the folks over at Engadget China have just published a press image of the HTC One M8 Eye that shows the smartphone looking exactly like the One M8. Even though no other details on the phone’s specs have been shared, word is that HTC One M8 Eye will come with the same 5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution. In addition, the smartphone will be equipped with a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory.

There’s no word on the secondary camera, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the One M8 Eye were packed with a 5-megapixel photo snapper in the front. If rumors prove to be accurate, then the HTC One M8 Eye should feature microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 128GB), as well as a 2600 mAh non-removable battery. The smartphone will ship with Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system out of the box, but we expect HTC to offer an Android L upgrade a few months after the new platform gets released on the market. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

Microsoft has just unveiled the download links of Windows 10 Technical Preview, thus allowing everyone to give a shot to its new operating system.

The testing tidbits of Windows 10 are available via the newly-launched Windows Insider Program, so before anything else, you need to register for this program to be able to download the official builds. Then just click on "Set up a PC" and follow the on-screen instructions to get to the download links. Windows 10 Tech Preview is available for both 32- and 64-bit configurations and at this point there are several languages available, but Microsoft expects the English ISO to register the biggest number of downloads. Needless to say, Microsoft recommends users not to install Windows 10 preview unless they have the experience to cope with bugs and diagnose some issues, as the company wants to work together with testers to improve features before the stable version comes out.

General recommendations and information

Microsoft says the Windows Insider Program is exclusively aimed at IT experts and advanced users, but pretty much everyone can download the testing bits and give Windows 10 a try on their own computers. “With the Insider program, we’re inviting our most enthusiastic Windows customers to shape Windows 10 with us. We know they’re a vocal bunch – and we’re looking forward to hearing from them,” the company noted. “The Windows Insider Program is intended for PC experts and IT pros who are comfortable using pre-release software with variable quality. Insiders will receive a steady stream of early builds from us with the latest features we’re experimenting with.”

It’s also very important to note that once you install Windows 10 preview, you won’t be able to go back to your previous Windows installation, so it’s better to use a secondary PC or a new partition for this testing version of the operating system. At the same time, word is that Microsoft won’t allow preview users to upgrade to the stable version, so a fresh install when Windows 10 comes out will be mandatory. “If you want to stop using Windows Technical Preview and return to your previous version of Windows, you’ll need to reinstall your previous version from the recovery or installation media that came with your PC – typically a DVD. If you don’t have recovery media, you might be able to create a USB recovery drive,” Microsoft said in one of the leaked documents.

The 32-bit version of Windows 10 Preview has 3.16 GB in size, while the 64-bit build comes in the form of a 4.10 GB. Up to 20 GB of space would be required to deploy the operating system.

Motorola DROID Turbo is the next high-end smartphone to be released by the US-based handset maker and from what we’ve learned in the last couple of days, this may be the best Motorola handset to date.

Obviously, specs are not everything, but if we are to take into consideration the latest information spotted at GFXBench by the folks over at Droid-Life, Motorola DROID Turbo is a beast. The new Moto X seems an outdated smartphone before it even got released in comparison with the DROID Turbo. Unfortunately, Motorola fans will certainly be disappointed by the fact that the unannounced smartphone will only be available in the United States. As the name suggests, the device will be part of Verizon’s DROID family, so customers in the US that want to grab the high-end smartphone will only be able to do it through this carrier. Depending on the phone’s success in the United States, there’s a slight chance that an international version will be launched as well, though this is just a speculation, so until Motorola doesn’t come up with an official statement, there’s nothing certain regarding DROID Turbo’s availability.

Moving on to the actual specs, the DROID Turbo is meant to be Motorola’s real flagship smartphone, so expect some of the latest technologies to be included in this device. According to a GFXBench listing, Motorola DROID Turbo boasts a stunning 5.2-inch QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) capacitive touchscreen display. On the inside, the smartphone is equipped with a 2.65GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, an Adreno 420 graphics processing unit and no less than 3GB of RAM.

We shouldn't rule out an international version of Motorola DROID Turbo

The DROID Turbo packs 32GB of internal memory, but the benchmark results indicate only 21GB storage is available. There’s no mention of microSD card slot for the moment, but that should be plenty of space to store your pictures and music. Last but not least, Motorola DROID Turbo is said to feature an incredible 20-megapixel rear-facing camera, as well as secondary 2-megapixel camera in the front. The smartphone has been listed as running Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system, but by the time Motorola goes official with the DROID Turbo, it might be powered by Android L. Let’s hope it’s true; otherwise, it will take a long time until Verizon offers a software upgrade.

At first glance, Motorola DROID Turbo has exactly the same specs as the Nexus 6’s, which leaked several weeks ago. We’re talking about the 5.2-inch version of the Nexus 6, not the huge Motorola Shamu that packs a large 5.9-inch screen. However, it’s unclear whether or not Google will launch two Nexus 6 models this year, but at least it would be nice to be able to get an international version of the DROID Turbo.